ARA Flores, 24, went to Singapore in search of better opportunities. Six months later, she went back to Cebu to open her family’s first business venture – a pizza parlor.
“Back in Singapore, I was inspired by students who, at the young age, already had businesses of their own. I also wanted the same. So I used my savings to start the pizza business,” Flores said, who worked as a waitress in a restaurant.
She said she wanted her mother, Marigiev, to leave her job and attend to the business instead.
Flores said the family franchised Mamma Maria’s Pizzeria, a five-year-old pizza business that started in Bacolod City. She said more than P1 million was invested in the business.
Flores’ pizza parlor is located at the Aznar Compound on Osmena Blvd. across the Social Security System’s new building. It is the fourth outlet of Mamma Maria’s Pizzeria in Cebu.
“We chose the pizza business because we know that everybody loves pizza,” she said. Flores targets the young market as her main customers.
Create your own
Mamma Maria’s Pizzeria is an Italian pizza with sizes from eight to 30 inches. Its price, depending on the size, ranges from P49 to P1, 700. It also offers 27 flavors.
Flores also incorporated a “create-your-own-pizza-concept” in their menu, where customers can add toppings to their pizzas.
After the family’s pizza business has done well, Flores said she also plans to open a coffee shop at the Asiatown I.T. Park next year. “The plan also is to have a pizza parlor beside the coffee shop,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mamma Maria’s Pizzeria creator Tommy Brage reported that the franchise business of the pizza is doing well, with the growing inquiries from clients.
“There are even inquiries to open outlets in Ayala Mall in Davao,” Brage said. The Mamma Maria’s Pizzeria has 14 franchisees. The company has three company-owned outlets.